
COPYRICHTED-1882-BY McLOUGHLIN BROS. 



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P St. Mark's Place with stately step, 
A merchant of fair Venice walked ; 

A youthful noble at his side, 

With eager gesture to him talked. 

And thus he said: "In Belmont dwells 
A lady, fair, and rich, and wise, 

By many princely suitors sought — 
I once found favor in her eyes. 

And if I only had the means, 

To hold with them a rival's place, 

I think, Antonio, I could win, 

That fair and wealthy lady's grace. 

Antonio smiled, and said, " Dear friend, 
My fortunes all are on the sea; 




Upon this errand joyous went, 
And quickly found a wealthy Jew, 
Who (for a payment) money lent. 

Now, good Antonio, alas ! 

That merchant, honest, kind, and true 
(With all who bore the name of Christ) 

Was hated by that wicked Jew. 



To do Antonio injury, 

Old Shylock had been waiting long; 
And now — at last — he saw a chance 

To do the "royal merchant" wrong 



So when Antonio appeared, 

He said, " the money he would lend, 
If a strange bond — proposed in jest — 

Were first signed by Bassanio's friend."4 

The bond which he proposed was this : 

Antonio should the Jew repay 
Whatever sum of gold he lent, 

At noon, upon a certain day. 

But if the merchant chanced to fail. 

In due fulfilment of his part, 
Shylock should cut a pound of flesh 

From near the good Antonio's heart. 

Shylock this dreadful bond had framed 

To gratify his deadly hate. 
Hoping that change or chance might make, 

The merchant's payment come too late. 







Bassanio would not have it signed ; 

But good Antonio, for his sake, 
Sure that his ships would soon be home, 

Did not object the risk to take. 




To Belmont with a gallant train, 

Bassanio, at once he sent 
A handsome wooer ; full of hope, 

The young Venetian noble went. 

In Portia's eyes his welcome shone. 
But, oh 1 too soon her lover found. 

That, by her dear, dead father's will. 
The maiden's wedded fate was bound. 

Three caskets the old Lord had left, — 
One gold, one silver, one dull lead, — 

And one of these the man must choose 
Who would the orphan heiress wed. 




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And if within the one he choose, 
He found fair Portia's hkeness laid, 

She was his wife, and his her wealth, — 
Won by the choice which he had made. 



Bassanio, with eager love, 

At once would seek to try his fate, 
Though Portia (dreading he might lose) 

Would fain awhile ha\'e had him wait. 

She led him to the painted hall. 

Where the three fatal caskets stood. 

And hoped that fortune would be kind. 
To one who was so brave and good. 

Awhile in silent thought he stood, — 
Then softly murmured, " Men have shed, 

Much blood for silver and for gold! — 
I choose the dull but honest lead !" 



Portia looked on with silent joy — 
She had seen other suitors choose ; 

And knew, if orold should dazzle him, 
Her handsome lover she would loose. 



But he has won ! within the box 
Fair Portia's pictured image lies ; 

He turns, and reads the maiden's joy 
In her glad smile and beaming eyes. 

And with the picture was a scroll, 

Soon by Bassanio unrolled. 
On which these quaint old rhymes he read, 

Written in characters of gold. 





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^■^JoVi that cV^oose not by tKe view. 
yfance as yair. ar^ cFjoose as true' 
mce tEas JDrtune jails to you , 
§e coritent, aY\d seek iio T\ew. 

you be well pleased witli tliLS, 
^^^vx\ you ^^ere your tadj is, 



cei %r ^^ilh a loving Ij^ss :^ 



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The happy kiss is scarcely given, 

Before within the hall appear 
An anxious group, who bring from Venice 



Sad tidings to Bassanio's ear. 



A letter from Antonio 

They gave his friend, with mournful air, 
And, as Bassanio read, his face 

Grew pale with horror and despair. 




Antonio wrote that all his ships. 
Upon the stormy seas were lost. 

And that his sanguine hopes of wealth 
In other ways, had all been crossed. 

He could not pay the debt he owed. 
At the fixed time, and now the Jew 

Claimed from his side the pound of flesh. 
Which the strange bond had made his due. 






Portia, who saw his color fade, 

Bassanio's cause of grief would know, 

And listened, with most tender eyes. 
To poor Antonio's tale of woe. 

" Make me at once your wife," she said, 
" And then to Venice haste away, — 

To save the dear Antonio's life. 
Half of my fortune I would pay." 

With warmest gratitude he heard, 
And then (the hurried wedding o'er). 

Away Bassanio swiftly sailed 
To the far-oft" Venetian shore. 




"The city of the Hundred Isles" 
At length with eager eyes he saw, 

Where his Antonio waited still 
The fate decreed him by the law. 

Now seated in the Senate house, — 
The Senators all gathered near, — 

The Duke of Venice was prepared 
Antonio's strange case to hear. 



On one side the poor merchant stood, 
Patient and calm, glad that his friend, 

Bassanio (for whom he died), 

Would be beside him to the end. 




The Duke had reason'd with 
the Jew, 
But threats and pleadings 
had been vain. 
Nothing his settled purpose 
moved. 
Nor could his cruelty 
restrain. 

And now with wolfish look 
of hate. 
Before the Duke they see 
him stand : 
A grey old man, in Jewish 
dress, 
Grasping a sharp knife in 
his hand. 



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Once more the Duke with 


^^s 


gentle words 


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Told him that men could 




not believe 


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That he would dare do such 


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a deed. 


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And bade him now their 




fears relieve. 



Then came Bassanio with a bag, 
And offer'd to the savage Jew 

A treble payment of the debt, 
For which the penalty was due. 



But gold and reasoning were 
vain, 
"Til have my bond!" he 
fiercely cried, 
" My bond, and nothing but 
my bond, — 
A pound of flesh cut from 
his side." 

" I claim my bond ! or deem 
the law 
Is pow'rless in this Christian 
state." 
The Duke replies, " Hear, 
first, the judge 
Whose coming hither we 
await." 

Just then a letter to the 
Duke 
Is brought — the learned 
judge is ill, 
But he has sent to fill his 
place 
A lawyer of the highest 
skill. 





"Admit the Judge," the Duke commands; 

A graceful youth at once they see 
Advance and greet the Duke and court, 
And take his seat with dignity. 




" I am informed," the stranger 
said, 
" Of the strange case we try 
to-day : 
Antonio, do you own the 
bond ?"' 
" I do," he said — the Jew 
cried "Ay." 

" Then must the Jew be 
merciful," 
The sweet voice said, " Yes, 
he must show 
Some pity to the ruined 
man. 
As he God's mercy hopes 
to know." 

But stubbornly the Jew replied, 
" My deed be on my head ! 
I claim 
The forfeiture of my true 
bond. 
Or the weak laws of 
Venice blame." 



1 \ ('. 




Then spoke the judge, " Can he not pay 
The money to this cruel Jew?" 

"Yes," cried Bassanio, "Ten times more 
Than the three thousand to him due!" 



In vain he speaks; with his 
own hfe 
Offers, in vain, his friend's 
to buy : 
" My bond, and nothing but 
my bond ! " 
Is still the cruel Shylock's 
cry. 



" And, Shy lock, you shall 
have your bond," 
The judge asserts, — "The 
law is clear." 
Shylock exclaims, " O wise 
young judge ! 
A Daniel come to judg- 
ment here !" 

^, And sharpens on is sole 
his knife. 
" Wait," the judge orders, 
" Till we see 
If one drop of the debtor's 
blood 
By this your bond will 
forfeit be." 



■^•- 



•' No ! not a drop is named in it ! 

Then not to spill one, prythee, try — 
The Jew who sheds a Christian's blood 

The laws of Venice doom to die ! 




And if an inch too much you cut, 
Or chance a drop of blood to shed. 

Your wealth is forfeit to the state, 

Which for the crime will have your head. 




Abashed and foiled the Jew now stands ; 

" Pay me, and I will go," he cries, 
"No! you shall only have your bond!" 

The lawyer, sternly, then replies. 



" For plotting this good mer- 
chant's death. 
You have yourself incurred 
his fate — 
Your life is forfeit— and your 
wealth 
Goes to the treasury of the 
state." 

So thus the wicked Jew was 
caught. 
In the same net that he 
had laid 
To kill the good Antonio — 
And had himself to death 
betrayed. 

But as a Christian must 

forgive, 
And mercy to the wicked 

show, 
Antonio for Shylock pleads, 
And begs the , Duke to let 

him go. 



His prayer was heard ; old Shylock's life 
They spared, but took his wealth away, 
And a poor, broken-hearted man. 

He went with heavy 
heart away. 




Who do you think the lawyer was 
Who thus had saved Antonio's life ? 

Portia herself, dress'd like a judge ! 
Bassanio's kind and clever wife ! 



Thus the good merchant was repaid 
For all the love he bore his friend ; 

And better fortune from henceforth 
Did on his latter days attend. 



His argosies — I mean his ships — 

Came back at last; they were not lost, 

But only upon stormy seas 

For a long time delayed and tossed. 

A royal merchant once again, 

He dwelt in Venice all his days, 

And won from those who knew his worth. 
Esteem, and reverence, and praise. 




iiSSlsr «>«REs7 




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014 068 463 6 • 



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McLOUGHLIN BROS., PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK. 



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